Law enforcement officials in Washington, D.C., have reinstalled a perimeter fence around the U.S. Capitol “out of an abundance of caution” ahead of President Biden’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday night.
The barrier, which mirrors the structure erected in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, features a metal fence with concrete barricades.
The decision to resurrect the security measure was made by the U.S Capitol Police in consultation with the Secret Service and comes amid concerns that demonstrations or trucker convoys headed toward the nation’s capital could jeopardize the city’s security and snarl traffic.
“In light of the upcoming State of the Union Address, and the possibility of demonstrations in the next couple of weeks, we have been working closely with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners on a security plan to prevent any disruption to the important work of Congress,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas J. Manger said Sunday in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, and in conjunction with the United States Secret Service, a plan has been approved to put up the inner-perimeter fence around the Capitol building for the State of the Union Address.”
In addition to the fencing, 700 National Guard troops will be ready to assist, should they be needed to help control demonstrations or trucker protests.
Truckers have said they plan to travel in convoys from across the country and arrive in Washington to protest Mr. Biden and pandemic restrictions. Some have said they will arrive by Tuesday for the State of the Union.
The trucker protests are modeled after a similar demonstration in Canada, where convoys caused major road closures for several weeks. A convoy from Pennsylvania was supposed to arrive last week in Washington, but the event received less interest than anticipated and featured only a small number of vehicles.
D.C. officials appear to be preparing for a larger number to arrive this week, as truckers from as far as California have been on the road for days headed toward the nation’s capital.
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